Saturday, March 18, 2006

Capital of Repression

The Statement -

"The Black & White Movement denounces the paranoid and heavy-handed treatment of citizens in the City of Manila, including the arrest of Enteng Romano and Dinky Soliman for daring to cross Roxas Boulevard at a Ped Xing. Apparently, Baywalk is only for the privileged few. Manila is the capital of repression".

That text, sent out to media within minutes of the arrest of Enteng and Dinky perfectly described the scene as it was. Last night's experience brought a whole new meaning to the lyric "namamasyal sa Luneta". So much for the hospitality of the City of Manila.

The Story -

We got to the front of Aristocrat at about 5:45pm. Some of us went into the restaurant for something to eat. Eventually, people began to arrive. We were joined by folks we'd never met before, too, and that boosted our spirits. By the time the sun began to set, there were about 22 of us. Everyone was in black, but some wanted to wear the "Patalsikin Na! Now Na!" tees, so we gave them out. Some even had the "Makapili" disguise, a cap, dark glasses and makeshift hood to parody Jimmy Fuentes, the Palace's "surprise witness". Our youngest participant, a beautiful 3 year old (sorry, I just met them last night and the ensuing chaos caused me to forget his name, but will always remember him as our angel) wore his tee shirt without much complaint. Due to the benign attention given to us at the last two Black Friday events, we thought having a child in our group was not going to be a problem.

We hadn't even left the restaurant sidewalk when we were accosted by Col. Marcelino Pedrozo of the WPD and 50 cops. We were truly surprised at the attention. Enteng and Dinky tried to negotiate. The Colonel kept saying that they had intel that we were going to "do something" but never said what "it" was (It's obvious their intel guys don't surf the blogs). He pointed out our tee shirts. I asked what law prohibited us from wearing tee shirts like ours. Since when was this illegal? He had no answer except, "Basta, alam namin na may gagawin kayo". Dinky countered that we were well within our rights to stroll along the Baywalk, wasn't it open to the public? Since when was this illegal? The Colonel was on the phone a lot, obviously being given orders to take a hard stand. Enteng kept saying that we were not going to do a rally, merely walk on the Baywalk. We had no placards, banners, not even a megaphone. No one was chanting or yelling, merely pleading our case. Was this illegal? The colonel also made the media a part of the issue, saying that if there was press, we were probably "up to something". Since when was it illegal to have news media around?

When Dinky realized that negotiations were going nowhere, she announced that she would walk Baywalk alone and began walking, Enteng followed close behind, the rest of us kept pace. The cops surrounded the two when they reached the crosswalk. We made sure to keep right by them, and waited for the light to change. Just as it did, Enteng heard Col. Pedrozo get an order from whomever it was on his cellphone, and that's when he called out , "ok, i-aresto na ninyo ito" gesturing toward Enteng. Two cops got hold of his arms, and Enteng reached out for Dinky as she was also grabbed. Several bystanders were overheard saying, "wala na talagang demokrasya sa Pilipinas", shaking their heads. Many of us heard that as we followed our friends to the glass enclosed Precinct No.9. Although we were enraged at the arrests, none of us blew our cool. Some of us did the thumbs down sign as cars along the side street passed, but we did not block traffic.

Once we found out that they were going to be brought to WPD, we piled into cars and cabs to follow. It wasn't long before our lawyer friends arrived - Edwin Lacierda, Hec Soliman (Dinky's husband), ex Sec. Butch Abad, Marvic Leonen, Marlon Manuel. What an impressive team! Meanwhile, our phones kept ringing with calls of support from family and friends.

The police planned on charging Enteng and Dinky with something, but they seemed to take their time in making a decision. Supt. Paglinawan didn't appear to be too keen about having to charge them with "something" at the time. And so, we waited.

Our biggest surprise was the arrival of former Pres. Cory Aquino. She was accompanied by her son, Cong. Noynoy Aquino. Cory refused to be dissuaded from coming over. She brought comfort, confidence, and chocolate. Her arrival also changed the atmosphere in the station, as if the police were dumbstruck, only then realizing that they may have made a boo boo. They had turned a molehill into a mountain.

Cory's presence also sped up the pace at which the cops were going. They finally came up with a charge, violation of BP880, illegal assembly. From there, we all trooped to City Hall to face night court. Many of us waited outside the door of Fiscal Ramos as she discussed the case with the police and the lawyers. We got to read the affidavit submitted by Col. Pedrozo - it said Dinky and Enteng were accused of leading a "lighting (sic) rally". When asked by the fiscal what the cops meant by that, they had trouble explaining it. They were admonished to look up the meaning of the phrase. Dinky and Enteng were told to apply for a permit "next time". They were released upon their own recognizance pending further investigation. Please refer to Edwin Lacierda for his report on what transpired inside the fiscal's office.

As we left the building, we were greeted by around 30 of our friends that were holding a candlelight vigil. They applauded both Dinky and Enteng and we all broke into singing "Bayan Ko". Oh dear! A rally right outside Manila City Hall! I wondered if Mayor Atienza was having a nightmare. Maybe we'd be arrested right there! But no such bad luck - the police were hightailing out of City Hall!

10 comments:

MrG said...

With the publicity generated by the arrests, I suggest that we encourage everyone to wear their black t-shirts every Friday -gimmick day. They do not have to congregate at any specific place, just greet each other with a "thumbs down" sign.

This can easily be done in Davao, Cebu, Bacolod, Iloilo, Zamboanga, Palawan, Sorsogon, Ilocos, Pampanga, Dagupan, etc. etc. wherever gimmicks are held.

With more arrests, who knows, we might all be wearing black t-shirts everyday --- and sooner.

GMA's aversion to any kind of protest against her is promoting the the latest fashion statement - wearing black t-shirts. And to make it more distinctive, why not include "Dinky's streak"?

Leah Navarro said...

Tet, thank you for the excellent suggestion! Enteng and I really think your idea (in another comment) to put slogan "below the belt", so to speak is wonderful. Watch out for it's birth!

Hear hear, Mr. de la Cruz!

the bystander said...

He who strikes terror into others is himself in continual fear.
--Claudian

Those who suppress freedom always do so in the name of law and order.
--John V. Lindsay

the bystander said...

To JUANDIC:

This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it.
--Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)
US president

He who allows oppression, shares the crime.
--Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles Darwin

Leah Navarro said...

Excellent and apropos quotes, Bystander! By the way, I enjoyed your last two posts, very informative.

John - yeah, these outages are beginning to fray my nerves. The latest Blogger update says they've got most of the problem solved, but some blogs will still experience problems. Thank you for the post on arrests and your insights.

Juandlc - many of us in BnW are great supporters of Gawad Kalinga et al, so please don't think this is all we do. In fact, we can all do many other things to help change our country for the better. One point lang - as an OFW, are you concerned that the stronger peso is making the dollar much weaker here? Some say it's artificial daw, but don't know enough to understand what that means. What do you think?

MrG said...

JuanDLC said...
“You people are asking for trouble...”

This can only come from people with "utak pulbura", who believe that the only way to end conflict is to start trouble.

I am sorry Mr JuanDLC, but please do not make self-fulfilling prophecies. That's the kind of thinking that GMA is promoting with her policemen and defenders. The better to scare the people by saying that only trouble can come out of their defiance.

Life is too short and if the only meaning to it is to be able to feed one’s family, then we surely are in the wrong place and I think you realized that when you decided to be an OFW. I do not mean to disparage you or anybody who decides that it is time to leave. Life over death, comfort over pain, health and wealth are definitely natural human aspirations. If we have decided to stay here, either because we have no choice but to be here or that we made it our choice, then allow us to pursue what we think should be our moves towards fulfilling our aspirations.

If doing an EDSA as you said, will result to having people in government who do not cheat or lie, then, it is worth doing it again and again. And if it is the only thing we know right now, then allow us to re-do bloodless EDSAs till we hit it right. But please do not cow us into thinking that we are asking for trouble. Perhaps you or people that think like you would want to give the trouble to us. But why would you do that if your only concern is to earn money for your family in some far-flung place?

I do not really think you are an OFW. Your knowledge and concern about the political scene here seems to mirror the administration’s line, notably the spin given by the likes of Defensor, Bunye, Gonzales and Pichay. Why would one who is minding only his “hanapbuhay” be embarrassed in a foreign country when what is loudest in the news is the creeping martial rule in the Philippines? If you are doing an honest job there, continue doing so, because we are proud of all the OFWs that do so and continue supporting the Philippine economy. You should not be embarrassed with us who are trying to have decency restored to governance.

In closing, let me share with you these words from a great civil rights leader: “I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.”
Martin Luther King Jr., Speech in Detroit, June 23, 1963. There are more of his thoughts about people like you that wish to promote inequity and trouble at http://tinyurl.com/f7p72.

And please address your ending statement to the marines with you in your system, wherever that might be. “Again i'm not a Gloria fan. We poeple should be prepared to accept the system and work within that system. I just believe that for us a people to grow, we should learn how to follow the system otherwise we are the laughing stock of democracy.”

john marzan said...

JuanDLC post reminds me of this Mobyism tactic. LOL. Beware.

Leah Navarro said...

Hi John! You gotta give it to those Arlegui folks, they're really earning their keep. Picture this - Ric Saludo and Gabby Claudio suantering through a roomfull of computers being manned by failed-to-make-the-cut call center operators. LOL

Juan said...

Juan dela Cruz is the common Filipino, the collective Filipino. Let us all rediscover ourselves, who we are, should be, as Filipinos. Let us rediscover the goodness in us – kabutihan ng kalooban ng bawat isa. Do we still remember the folk song refrain: “sa kabukiran may gintong kalooban”? Let us complete a portrait of Juan dela Cruz by contributing, each, his/her unique piece or pixel without which the picture cannot be completed. We may not like, or even recoil at an ugly or even obnoxious image of a sick stranger – how we have become to each other, as Filipinos. But we cannot be healed unless we overcome the intolerance or revulsion at an ugliness or ineptitude that we easily see in others but not in ourselves. Let us embark on a journey of rediscovering: On Journeying as a People, as Global Filipinos @ http://juan-dela-cruz.blogspot.com/

Juan said...

jdlc said, "We poeple should be prepared to accept the system and work within that system. I just believe that for us a people to grow, we should learn how to follow the system otherwise we are the laughing stock of democracy"

There is no fundamental conflict w/ B&W activity; perhaps ur not a risk taker, GMA is, segurista lang siya na di siya ang tatamaan, ang taombayan, its what's been going on, it is right for some people to take some risks, they are part of those who pay the price, and more
I support an honest realistic approach:
"Creative Proactive Response – Citizens’ Initiatives
As such, the resolution of the critical impasse calls for a remedial coup as an element of wide-ranging and peaceful citizens’ initiatives that adhere to just and democratic processes to defend and strengthen our democratic institutions." @http://icbcp.blogspot.com/